We're back!
The MiniChef has been reading Laura Numeroff's books in his first grade class (first grade!!!) and yesterday on the way home from school, he asked to start this project up again because "there are so many yummy things we can bake from books!" Since baking usually takes longer than fixing dinner, we're going to move our Project to weekends instead of Wednesdays soon, so we don't feel rushed.
Of course I wanted to make sure MiniChef knew I was as excited as he was, and get started as soon as possible. Fortunately, I had seen Mr. Crum's Potato Predicament in the front display at our library yesterday and picked it up on a whim. The book looked right up our alley, even though it didn't have any dragons, monsters, or any other mythical creatures in it. And since tonight's dinner included potatoes, I thought it would be a perfect way to dive back in.
Since The MiniChef knows more about books and storytelling now, I'll be asking him to share his thoughts on the books we read. Here's what he had to say about what happens in Mr. Crum:
"It was like fiction, but it was about a real story. He had to serve this one guy who only liked potatoes. And he didn't like three of Crum's potato servings until he invented potato chips, which the guy loved. My favorite thing about the book was that George invented potato chips, because I like potato chips. I do sometimes like my potatoes a certain way, but I'm not too picky about them."George's specialty was potatoes, but if The MiniChef had a restaurant,
"it would be a diner or a bakery or something, so I would have lots of yummy breakfast foods. My speciality would be waffles with blueberries, chocolate, and strawberries. And syrup."The book was a well-written and -illustrated work of historical fiction, which included context with photos as an epilogue. It was incredibly engaging, and I think I might have enjoyed it just as much as MiniChef did.
As for the recipe, MiniChef's "favorite thing about making our potato dish was grating the cheese." Here's how we did it:
Mr. MiniChef's Potato Procedure
(adapted from Sheet Pan Bruschetta Chicken from Damn Delicious)
1 pound small red potatoes
2 T olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan
Kosher salt, to taste
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 ounces fresh Mozzarella, sliced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
I did:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with nonstick spray.
MiniChef did:
Wash the potatoes well. Cut each potato into 4-6 wedges depending on how big the potato is, like George did to the first three batches he served to Filbert P. Horsefeathers. (MiniChef noticed that George used the "claw grip" we've been practicing, with one hand stabilizing the potato while the other uses the knife.) The potatoes were hard to cut with his child-safe knife, so I helped a little bit.
MiniChef did:
Place the potatoes into a bowl. Add the olive oil, thyme, oregano, and Parmesan. Season with salt to taste. Toss or mix together, to make sure potatoes are coated.
We did together:
Place potatoes in one layer on one side of the prepared baking sheet.
I did:
Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Place in a single layer on the other side of the prepared baking sheet. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Top the chicken with the sliced Mozzarella during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
While the chicken is in the oven, mix the tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and garlic in a small bowl. Add Kosher salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
We all did:
Serve immediately, topped with the bruschetta. (If your MiniChef is like mine, they might enjoy the tomatoes on the side instead.)
